Bullying is a hot issue these days and director Lee Hirsch is capitalizing on that trend in his new documentary Bully.
His inspirational film about the realities of bullying was made with the hope that when students saw it, they would have a change of heart. Unfortunately, the intended audience may never even get the chance to see the film as it has earned itself an R rating due to strong language.
The reality of adolescent behavior has proven to be too much for the MPAA, putting a damper on the hopes of creating a wave of change. Producer Harvey Weinstein, along with Hirsch, plan to appeal the rating at a meeting scheduled for this Thursday
The Weinstein Company are preparing to fight the rating all the way to court if that’s what it takes. They claim that teens and pre-teens are the crowd that needs to see a film like this. Perhaps the MPAA will suggest some simple censoring to bring the rating down to a more appropriate PG-13.
Bully hits theaters on March 30th. Will you be there?
